Akin Backs Expository Preaching

If you know me you know that in my opinion it does not get any better than good expository preaching. I am so glad to have a current seminary professor that endorses this method of preaching God's inerrant, infallible, authoritative, Word. You probably are aware that Danny Akin is the president at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Dr. Akin spoke from this outline and more at a Chapel Service yesterday at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He said that there will be more great words about expository preaching coming his website later this week. These thoughts are too good not to pass along.

“A Crisis in the 21^st Century Preaching: a Mandate for Biblical Exposition”

By: Daniel L. Akin, President

Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

“Expository preaching is text driven preaching that honors the truth of Scripture as it was given by the Holy Spirit. Discovering the God-inspired meaning through historical-grammatical-theological investigation and interpretation, the preacher, by means of engaging and compelling proclamation,explains, illustrates and applies the meaning of the biblical text in submission to and in the power of the Holy Spirit, preaching Christ for a verdict of changed lives.”

1. Preaching Must Be Text-Driven So That It Truly Honors What Is In The Divine Revelation.

6 advantages in this method? By: Don Carson

1. It is the method least likely to stray from Scripture.
2. It teaches people how to read their Bible.
3. It gives confidence to preachers and authorizes the message.
4. It meets the need for relevance without allowing the clamor for relevance to dictate the message.
5. It forces the preacher to handle the tough passages.
6. It enables the preacher to most systematically expound the whole counsel of God if sufficient chunks are handled.

2. Preaching must honor the principle of authorial intent, recognizing that the ultimate author of Scripture is the Holy Spirit, God Himself.

3. Scripture must be interpreted and understood as it was given to the original audience. The text cannot mean today what it did not mean then.

4. Pulpit Proclamation must affirm that the historical-grammatical-theological interpretation will best discover both the truth of the text and the theology of the text.

A faithful minister of the Word will bombard every text with a series of questions:

1. What does this text say about the Bible (and the doctrine of Revelation)?

2. What does this text say about God (also Creation, angelology)?

3. What does this text say about humanity (and sin, our falleness)?

4. What does this text say about Jesus Christ (His person and work)?

5. What does this text say about the Holy Spirit?

6. What does this text say about Salvation?

7. What does this text say about the Church?

8. What does this text say about Last Things?

Let your exegesis drive your theology. Let your theological system be shaped by Scripture and not the reverse.

I would encourage us to always ask of every text two questions, and to ask them in this order:

1) What does this text say about God; and 2) What does this text say about fallen humanity?

5. Effective biblical instruction will take serious and develop the implications of what

Jesus said in Luke 24 about the Christological nature of Scripture.

6. From beginning to end, from the study to the pulpit, the entire process of biblical

exposition must take place in absolute and complete submission to the Holy Spirit.

7. Changed Lives for the glory of God is always the goal for which we strive. Therefore

it is a sin, of the most serious sort, to preach the Word of God in a boring and

unattractive fashion.

“What you say is more important than how you say it, but how you say it has never been more important.”